Where to Start for Fixing Joomla Website Problems?

Submitted by cadmin on Thu, 04/06/2017 - 01:57

Is there exists any web server and or website, which claims to be completely safe from different attacks?

The simple answer is NO.

And if some web server and websites claim to be so they are simply lying. Any hardware can be broken. Any firewall can be hacked. A password can be compromised. So there is no such thing as complete security in the online world.

So, how to ensure Joomla website’s safety?

Where to start looking for the problem?

There are 3 major areas to look for, let us discuss them in detail.

The Web Server

The hosting is very important for any website and Joomla websites are no exceptions. If hosting is reliable and secure then only you can expect better performance from your website. So first you have to setup a great server in order to overcome the website issues. But as we discussed earlier that there is no foolproof server so a website can still have the problem from the server's ends. So you have to know clearly when to contact hosting company.

When your Joomla website is not functioning properly, first you need to check for the server issues. One of the most common errors is 500 series. It occurs normally due to server issues. This is associated with PHP error and you should ask your hosting company to check the settings so that PHP work seamlessly.

You can check the PHP version of your Joomla website by login to the backend of CMS. After login to the Joomla, go to the system information page under the site tab. You will find the currently running PHP version here. Make sure it’s the correct version of PHP for your Joomla version.

File permissions can be another issue in Joomla websites. Permission issues can cause problems in front-end as well as the back-end of Joomla. Generally, directories should be listed at 755 and files should be at 644. Leaving directory set to 777 (everyone can read, write and execute) is a high risk for the security of your website. These problems are quite easy to fix but you have to check properly.

Sometimes it can be certain file settings who behave like culprits on your website. It mostly occurs in between server and website but they are prone to overlooked. You have to mainly consider PHP configuration file and htaccess file in this category. There should be an accurate sync between these files and server settings.

The Website

Once you checked the server related issue then you should move to the website. Checking website for the issues is not an easy task but you have to do it with patience. It should be a normal practice to take backups of the website after a certain time interval to avoid any unfortunate issues on Joomla website.

JavaScript issues are very common on the Joomla website. So you have to check JS first in order to debug the website issues. It’s advisable to load the website on Firefox browser and check the source code. In the source code, you can check the possible culprits in the form of jQuery. Normally extensions create issues in Joomla website if not compatible with templates.

Joomla is an open source CMS so there are lots of bad guys looking to break the websites time and time again. The best way to overcome this issue is to update the Joomla versions whenever they are available. Keep checking for the stable versions of CMS and update on time. Don’t forget to take a backup before initiating any update.

One more area to be careful in Joomla is while posting contents. You need to be very careful of the navigation hierarchy of the website while posting any page and or articles. Sometimes people directly paste content from MS word to Joomla website without selecting the appropriate option in the editor. It can break the front-end of the website. So be very careful while posting content on Joomla website.

The Hacking

If you have already checked website and server and there are no issues then it might be a case of hacking. You can take help of your hosting provider in order to diagnose the hacking.

Detecting hack can be a headache for you. Hacking can be of many types. Some simply hack your pages to show the world that someone has hacked you. Another kind of hacking can be less visual intrusions. These come in the form of altered codes or sometimes hackers simply upload new and irrelevant pages on your website. Sometimes hacker redirects your web pages to their own website.

The best way to check hacking is to look the server logs and modification dates in the Joomla back-end. If you notice a date when folders and files are modified, you will simply know that either you have done it or the hacker.

The Conclusion

Prevention is better than cure. Most common issues of the Joomla websites can be avoided by following security practices. Make sure Joomla is updated on your website and all the extensions are working. Follow standard practices for the passwords and make sure they are strong enough.